14 Things You Almost Certainly Didn’t Know About Your Vagina

The vagina is a weird, wonderful mechanism that’s proven infinitely useful to womankind from the dawn of the human race.

And as uncomfortable and irritating as it can sometimes be (hello, period cramps and discharge), not everyone’s fortunate enough to have one. Consider the millions of trans women around the world putting their bodies and bank accounts through hell to have one, or the women with genital abnormalities and fertility issues preventing their ability to menstruate and bear children, while the rest of us are bitching about how crappy periods are.

So in case you need a renewed appreciation for yours, here are 14 surprisingly sublime things you probably didn’t know about the extraordinary vessel which is your va-jay-jay…

1. Pubic hair is a natural attractant

Your bush isn’t just a neat accessory; pubic hair acts like a pheromone carpet to trap the scents necessary to lure potential mates. It also indicates you are biologically ready to procreate, and protects the delicate skin around the vulva. So you might want to think twice about getting that Brazilian.

2. You can’t lose anything inside your vagina

The vagina is like a sock. If you put something in a sock, it stays there, because it can’t get out the other end. That’s what the cervix is for; it prevents anything except sperm moving past a certain point. So if you’re fishing around for something, don’t fret, you’ll find it. Just make sure your hands are clean and nails trimmed.

3. Your vagina can ejaculate

Rest assured, if you’ve ever squirted during sex you almost certainly didn’t urinate on your partner. Female ejaculation is very real and normal for the small percentage of women lucky enough to experience it.

5. It has Latin roots

The word ‘vagina’ comes from the Latin word meaning ‘sheath for sword’. Who knew?!

6. It expands when aroused

Your vagina expands to twice its normal size when you’re turned on. This is to accommodate the many and varied penis shapes and sizes. Remember, it’s elastic enough to stretch for a baby, so it stands to reason it would expand when you’re fizzing.

7. There’s no such thing as a ‘loose’ vagina

You cannot, I repeat, cannot get a loose vagina from having lots of sex, or from childbirth. Your va-jay-jay is like an elastic band; it returns to its normal size when you stop stretching it.

8. It can fall out

The vagina, or the uterus and vagina, can protrude outside the body, owing to utero-vaginal prolapse. This can happen after childbirth or menopause from lack of pelvic support, but is pretty rare, and can be repaired with surgery.

9. It’s similar to a glass of wine

Yep; your vagina has the same pH level as a glass of wine. We’ll let you make all the metaphors you want with that one.

10. It has something in common with sharks

No, your vagina isn’t lethal, but your natural lubricant does have something in common with the protagonists from Jaws. Sharks produce a substance called squalene in their livers, which is also present in your vaginal lubricant. Who’da thunk it?

12. Women get erections

Or more specifically, clitorises get erections. Your clit is surprisingly similar in design to a penis when you’re aroused. If you’re feeling hot under the collar, your clit will actually become engorged with blood and swell, just like a man’s erection.

13. How close your clit is to your vagina affects your orgasm

In a study by the Journal of Sexual Medicine, which used MRIs to measure the clitorises of 30 women, of the 10 women who reported having trouble orgasming, all of them had clitorises that were further away from their vaginal opening.

14. The clitoris is more sensitive than the penis

While the penis has about 4000 nerve endings, the clitoris has roughly 8000. We also get a lot of help from the G-spot. So before you let anyone make you think women enjoy sex less than men, remember; twice the hot spots should mean twice the fun!

Image via tumblr.com.

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